Leg extension mechanisms (stilt devices) advantageously allow a user to maneuver at an increased height above a base surface. Stilt devices are often used in the construction industry to allow users to perform building or repair operations several feet above the ground and which could not otherwise be reachable without use of a scaffold or other support structure.
A particularly useful stilt device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,199 issued to Emmert. While operable, there remains a continual need for advancements in the art to improve operational characteristics of such devices, and it is to these and other improvements that preferred embodiments of the present invention are generally directed.